An Exit Toward Soul-Searching

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
It had been four days since Meghan O'Sullivan left her job at the White House. Just four days since she gave up her Secret Service pass, her classified hard drive and her entree to the president. Four days since she gave up any day-to-day responsibility for Iraq.

Hoping to Keep the Fight Alive

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) started pressing for greater congressional scrutiny of private contractors in Iraq not long after the war began. Last week she got lots of company.

In New Hampshire, the GOP Race Gets Tighter

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- For months, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has owned this state. A next-door neighbor with a vacation home here, Romney has had a double-digit lead over his fellow Republicans in the nation's first primary state, a hallmark of his highly disciplined campaign for the...

Iowa a Key Test for Democrats

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
CORALVILLE, Iowa, Oct. 6 -- From the high altitude of national polls, the race for the Democratic nomination may seem a potential runaway for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.). From ground level in the state with the nation's first presidential caucuses, a far different reality exists. Here Clin...

Negative Perceptions Dogging Clinton Among Voters in Iowa

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Long before the 2008 campaign began, Liz Belden thought she would support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). As a feminist, she believed it would be good for the country to finally elect a woman as president.

Iraq Embassy Cost Rises $144 Million Amid Project Delays

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The massive U.S. embassy under construction in Baghdad could cost $144 million more than projected and will open months behind schedule because of poor planning, shoddy workmanship, internal disputes and last-minute changes sought by State Department officials, according to U.S. officials and a...

Democrats to Offer New Surveillance Rules

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
House Democrats plan to introduce a bill this week that would let a secret court issue one-year "umbrella" warrants to allow the government to intercept e-mails and phone calls of foreign targets and would not require that surveillance of each person be approved individually.

The Talk Shows

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:

Bush Defends Interrogations

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
President Bush yesterday vigorously defended the government's efforts to detain and interrogate terrorism suspects, and he clashed with Democratic lawmakers over whether he has properly disclosed information about the classified program.

Turkish Premier Tells Bush Genocide Bill Would Hurt Ties

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The prime minister of Turkey telephoned President Bush yesterday to complain about a resolution before Congress describing the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during and after World War I as a "genocide."

N.M. Congresswoman to Seek Senate Seat

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:20:03 EDT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Rep. Heather Wilson says she plans to run for the Senate seat being vacated in New Mexico by Pete Domenici, her fellow Republican and political mentor.

Democrat, Republican Gang Up on Incumbent

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
CEDARBURG, Wis. -- Explanations are required when you are a conservative Republican, your friend is a Democrat, and you tell people you are running a joint campaign to unseat Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (Wis.), one of the longest-serving Republicans in Congress and the very definition of an...

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, 57; Fought for Employees' Rights

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Jo Ann Davis, 57, a four-term Republican member of Congress from southeastern Virginia who was known for looking out for the interests of federal employees, died of breast cancer Oct. 6 at her home in Gloucester.

Looking Past the Elephant in The Room

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
CORALVILLE, Iowa -- In a campaign swing through Iowa this week, former senator Fred D. Thompson told voters that Republicans need to look to their past to determine the party's future.

Before the Storm Clouds, Nothing but 'Blue Skies'

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Lynne Cheney wants time to stand still. Not now, not in this present tense of bloodshed and bile, where she is the stalwart wife of a vice president vilified as a warmonger. She wants the past back, she wants then .

Guantanamo Prosecutor Quits Post, Pentagon Says

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:04:32 EDT
WASHINGTON - The U.S. military's chief prosecutor for the Guantanamo war crimes trials has resigned, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Democrats Want to See Interrogation Memo

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 02:46:52 EDT
WASHINGTON -- Senate and House Democrats demanded Thursday to see two secret memos that reportedly authorize painful interrogation tactics against terror suspects _ despite the Bush administration's insistence that it has not violated U.S. anti-torture laws.

Congress Seeks Secret Memos On Interrogation

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Democratic lawmakers assailed the Justice Department yesterday for issuing secret memos that authorized harsh CIA interrogation techniques, demanding that the Bush administration turn over the documents. But officials refused and said the tactics did not violate anti-torture laws.

Despite Court Defeat, Craig Vows to Remain in Senate

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) vowed to serve out the remainder of his term yesterday despite losing his bid to withdraw his guilty plea for disorderly conduct in an airport men's restroom.

Means Test Sought for Medicare Drug Plan

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The Bush administration is advancing a proposal to levy higher premiums and deductibles on upper-income seniors enrolled in Medicare's new prescription drug benefit, raising fees on beneficiaries with incomes over about $80,000 a year, administration officials said yesterday.

Citing Health, GOP's Domenici Says He'll Retire From Senate

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Sen. Pete V. Domenici told a gathering of family members and supporters in Albuquerque that he has been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease and will not seek a seventh term next year.

Disaster Farm Fund Approved

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Tapping savings resulting from tighter tax rules on business, the Senate Finance Committee yesterday approved the creation of a $5 billion fund that would compensate farmers hit by weather-related losses over the next five years.

Giuliani Leads GOP 3rd-Quarter Money Race

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani announced yesterday that he raised $11 million for his presidential bid over the past three months, edging out his closest Republican competitor in the money chase but still posting a total that was half that of the leading Democratic candidates.

Tough Stance Is Urged On Nuclear Pact With India

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Key lawmakers have written a bipartisan House resolution that urges a group of nations engaged in nuclear trade to place toughly worded constraints on future nuclear dealings with India.

Ex-Investigator Details Iraqi Corruption

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has thwarted investigations into corruption at the top levels of his administration, including probes of his relatives, while nearly four dozen anti-corruption employees or their family members have been brutally murdered, the former top...

Political Appointees 'Burrowing In'

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
It is the season for that quadrennial Washington tradition known as "burrowing in."

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:36:01 EDT
Giuliani raises $11 million, Romney $10 million, newcomer Thompson $9.3 million in 3rd quarter

House Acts in Wake of Blackwater Incident

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Prompted by last month's deadly shootings in Baghdad by armed guards working for Blackwater USA, the House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to place all private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones under the jurisdiction of U.S. courts.

Craig Guilty Plea Stands on Restroom Sting

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:01:04 EDT

Sen. Craig won't resign in sex sting plea

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:34:02 EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho reversed course on Thursday and said he would remain in the U.S. Congress despite his conviction in a sex-sting operation at an airport men's room.

Senate approves funds for troops on the border

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:18:07 EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Wednesday approved funding to keep up to 6,000 National Guard troops deployed along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Leahy Set to Schedule Hearings on Mukasey

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) signaled yesterday that he will move ahead with confirmation hearings for a new attorney general later this month without reaching a deal on documents that he hoped to obtain from the White House.

Lawmakers Will Proceed on Climate Plan

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Legislative leaders in the House and Senate said yesterday that they plan to press ahead with proposals to limit U.S. emissions linked to global warming, focusing on mandatory, economy-wide caps of the kind that President Bush explicitly rejected last week in a climate conference he hosted.

Republican Domenici Is Set to Retire From Senate

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Senate Republicans are bracing for another potentially costly 2008 retirement, with veteran Sen. Pete V. Domenici (N.M.) expected to announce today that he will not seek a seventh term.

In Latest Poll, Good News for Both Clintons

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Former president Bill Clinton has emerged as a clear asset in his wife's campaign for the White House, with Americans offering high ratings to his eight years in office and a solid majority saying they would be comfortable with him as first spouse, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Police Report 4 Fires in Senate Offices

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:51:12 EDT
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Capitol Police reported four fires in Senate office buildings Wednesday. All were extinguished by midafternoon, but an investigation continued.

Senate Approves Intelligence Bill

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:22:06 EDT
WASHINGTON -- The Senate has scrapped its bid to obtain the archive of daily intelligence briefings given to the president on Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion.

Bush Vetoes Health Measure

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
President Bush yesterday vetoed a $35 billion expansion of a popular children's health insurance program, a move that left him as politically isolated as he has ever been and had even Republican allies questioning his hard-line strategy.

McCain Assails Clinton on Foreign Policy

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:47:53 EDT
WESTMINSTER, S.C. -- Republican John McCain is accusing Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton of indecisiveness and wanting "to have it both ways" on foreign policy, having voted for the Iraq war and now opposing it.

Clinton Widens Lead In Poll

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has consolidated her place as the front-runner in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination, outpacing her main rivals in fundraising in the most recent quarter and widening her lead in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

'If you don't go after the network, you're never going to stop these guys. Never.'

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
BAGHDAD -- In the early spring of 2006, perhaps the most important document in Baghdad was known as the MOASS -- the Mother of All Spreadsheets-- a vast compilation of radio frequencies that insurgents used to trigger roadside bombs.

The Man From Blackwater, Shooting From the Lip

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Like the company he founded, defense contractor Erik Prince doesn't seem to answer to anybody.

House Passes Bill on Pullout

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The House, with overwhelming, bipartisan support, voted yesterday to give the Bush administration two months to present to Congress its planning for the withdrawal of combat forces in Iraq.

Mukasey Papers Cite Giuliani Friendship

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey calls GOP presidential hopeful Rudolph W. Giuliani a "good friend" in new documents released by the Senate yesterday and said he repeatedly recused himself as a federal judge from cases involving the former New York mayor.

White House Secrecy On Wiretaps Described

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
No more than four Justice Department officials had access to details of the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program when the department deemed portions of it illegal, following a pattern of poor consultation that helped create a "legal mess," a former Justice official told Congress...

Oklahoma Senator Blocks Widely Accepted Gun Bill

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The nation's first new firearms law in more than a decade, born of the shooting deaths at Virginia Tech, is being blocked in the Senate by a single lawmaker who says it costs too much.

Scientists See Politics in Spotted Owl Plan

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
More than 100 independent scientists suggested yesterday that political pressure may have led federal officials to water down protections for the northern spotted owl in a recently revised recovery plan for the threatened bird.

Poll Shows Giuliani Atop An Unsettled GOP Race

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Rudolph W. Giuliani leads the race for the GOP presidential nomination, with Republican voters describing him as the field's strongest leader and most electable candidate in the 2008 general election, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Obama Revisits Key Antiwar Speech

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
CORALVILLE, Iowa, Oct. 2 -- Seeking to recharge his campaign for the autumn stretch run, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Tuesday used the fifth anniversary of his 2002 speech against going to war in Iraq to issue some of his strongest criticism yet of the war votes cast by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clint...

Blackwater Chief Defends Firm

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The chairman of the Blackwater private security firm said yesterday that guards working for his company have "acted appropriately at all times" while protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq and accused critics of making "baseless allegations of wrongdoing" against them.

Warner In Hospital With Heart Problem

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
U.S. Sen. John W. Warner was admitted to Inova Fairfax Hospital yesterday to correct an abnormal heartbeat, and he is expected to be home by the weekend and back at work next week, according to his Senate office.

Hillary Chuckles; Pundits Snort

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Forget the cleavage. It's now about the cackle. No joke: Hillary Clinton's laugh is now being analyzed, scrutinized and, yes, mocked as if it were a sound barrier on her glide path to the Democratic presidential nomination: Is it real? Is it fake? Is it a diabolically clever attempt to portray her...

TechPresident, the Internet Citizenry's New Consensus Taker

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
NEW YORK -- Exactly how much will it matter, all this online activity among the presidential hopefuls?

Obama Urges Eliminating Nuclear Weapons

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:03:25 EDT
CHICAGO -- Democrat Barack Obama called for ridding the world of nuclear weapons Tuesday and offered his early opposition to the Iraq war as evidence of sound judgment that trumps his lack of Washington experience.

Democrats Propose Tax Surcharge for War

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:28:58 EDT
WASHINGTON -- Arguing it is unfair to continue to pass the cost of the war in Iraq to future generations, three senior House Democrats Tuesday offered a long-shot plan to raise taxes to pay for the $150 billion bill for the war in 2008.

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Lawmaker Pilots Have A Say on Aviation Bill

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
In the fight over FAA reauthorization, it was Big Airlines vs. the little guy -- the little guy being private pilots, small regional airlines and airports. This time around, in an argument settled in the House and headed for a Senate vote, the little guy actually had some pull.

From the State Department, All the News for Inquiring Minds

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Fox News, launched with such high hopes 11 years ago as the "fair and balanced" network, apparently hasn't lived up to its billing. CNN never had a chance. The other networks? Please. No citizen could dare trust the agenda-driven print media -- The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Ne...

Federal Officials Too Often Flying First and Business Class, GAO Finds

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The cost of federal travel is taking off -- for all the wrong reasons.

House calls for plan to pull forces from Iraq

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:18:05 EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare show of bipartisanship on Iraq, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to make the Pentagon produce plans to withdraw U.S. troops -- but did not mandate the withdrawals.

Clinton Raises $22 Million, Bests Obama

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:20:51 EDT
WASHINGTON -- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton raised $22 million this summer for her presidential primary campaign, outpacing all other candidates so far with her best three-month showing of the year.

Most in Poll Want War Funding Cut

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Most Americans oppose fully funding President Bush's $190 billion request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a sizable majority support an expansion of a children's health insurance bill he has promised to veto, putting Bush and many congressional Republicans on the wrong side of public op...

Other Killings By Blackwater Staff Detailed

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Blackwater security contractors in Iraq have been involved in at least 195 "escalation of force" incidents since early 2005, including several previously unreported killings of Iraqi civilians, according to a new congressional account of State Department and company documents.

The General's Reluctant Farewell

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
They brought the full array of military hardware to Fort Myer for Gen. Peter Pace's sendoff yesterday as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: four fighter jets, four ceremonial howitzers, five honor guards, two brass bands, three metal detectors and eight Porta Potties.

N.J. Wants Rules for Health Plan Blocked

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
New Jersey officials asked a federal judge yesterday to block new Bush administration rules that would make it harder for states to enroll middle-income kids in a popular government-subsidized health insurance program for children.

State of Washington Defends Its Primaries Before Supreme Court

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The Supreme Court convened its new term yesterday, and the justices immediately immersed themselves in the first of several election-law challenges the court has agreed to decide in the midst of the 2008 elections.

With More Than $20 Million, Obama Reports Strong Quarter

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Democratic presidential candidates continued to pile up record amounts of campaign cash over the past three months, newly released figures show, further distancing them from their Republican counterparts.

When 'Physics Gets in the Way'

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- No silver bullet has seemed more alluring in the battle against IEDs than so-called directed-energy weapons, designed to zap roadside bombs with lasers, microwaves or electrical bolts.

Chertoff Blames Border Crossers For Land Damage

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, whose department has come under fire from environmentalists for fencing off hundreds of miles of the U.S. border with Mexico at Congress's request, said yesterday that he knows of something worse for nature than a wall: illegal immigrants.

Tax-Cut Supporters Ready for 'World Series of Lobbying'

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Charlie Rangel, get ready to rumble. Rangel, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, has promised a tax bill so large that it will be "the mother of all reforms." Those are fighting words to Washington's business lobbyists. To them, "reform" means "tax increase." So they're teeing up the m...

Thompson Battles Media Skeptics

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:50:01 EDT
The reviews are in: Fred Thompson's plunge into the presidential campaign "was right up there with Britney Spears at the MTV awards."

Bush Thanks Pace for His Service

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:24:31 EDT

Defense Secretary Pays Tribute to Pace

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:13:16 EDT

Taxes, Health Lead Hill Agenda

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Out of a political stalemate over Iraq, domestic policy is surging to prominence on Capitol Hill, with Republicans and Democrats preparing for a time-honored clash over health care, tax policy, the scope of government and its role in America's problems at home.

Air Force Arranged No-Work Contract

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
While waiting to be confirmed by the White House for a top civilian post at the Air Force last year, Charles D. Riechers was out of work and wanted a paycheck. So the Air Force helped arrange a job through an intelligence contractor that required him to do no work for the company, according to do...

'There was a two-year learning curve . . . and a lot of people died in those two years'

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
As Gen. John P. Abizaid began his second year at U.S. Central Command in July 2004, the simple solutions he had hoped would defeat improvised explosive devices in Iraq seemed further away than ever. More than 100 American soldiers had been killed by bombs in the first half of the year, and IED at...

A weekly roundup of the buzz from the Sunday talk shows

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Former president Bill Clinton yesterday continued to back away from his position that the president should have the authority to approve the torture of a terrorist in a "ticking time bomb" scenario.

Hints of Strong Fundraising Emerge

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced last night he raised about $5.2 million over the past three months for his Democratic presidential bid, an amount his campaign said would keep him within reach of the front-runners for his party's nomination.

Supreme Court to Take On Contentious Cases in New Term

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
After a bruising term that featured more close decisions and ideological splits than in its recent history, the Supreme Court begins its new term today with more of the same: emotional, complex and sometimes partisan issues that divide the justices as well as the nation.

Candidates Don't Count Unions Out

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
In Detroit last week, one of America's most storied unions agreed to shoulder the long-term burden of members' health-care costs, a reluctant recognition of the brutal economic forces that have been weighing on its industry.

Confessions Not Always Clad in Iron

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
In the courts and in Congress, Sen. Larry Craig is fighting to withdraw his guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge that may suggest he tried to solicit sex from a man in June at a Minneapolis airport bathroom. Rather than resign yesterday, as the senator had promised and Republicans had hoped, Craig...

'The IED problem is getting out of control. We've got to stop the bleeding.'

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 09:18:00 EDT
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- By the late summer of 2002, as the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington approached, an American victory in Afghanistan appeared all but assured. A pro-Western government had convened in Kabul. Reconstruction teams fanned out through ...